SC questions DMK decision to give away TVs

14 Aug 2008, 0319 hrs IST,TNN 
  
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court’s decision on Wednesday to examine the propriety of the DMK government’s decision to distribute free colour TVs, as per its poll promise, will surely put a leash on political parties, which have graduated from promising cheap ration to luxury items — all at the taxpayer’s expense.

Petitioner S Subramaniam Balaji had a simple questions to ask — what public purpose did the DMK government achieve by keeping its election promise of providing free colour TVs at a cost of Rs 24,000 crore to the exchequer?

A bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices P Sathasivam and J M Panchal was at its sarcastic best during the hearing. Before issuing notice to the Tamil Nadu government and DMK, it said: ¶TV is now almost an essential item. It may not be a totally extraneous consideration, but slightly. There could be better alternatives to colour TVs.¶

While issuing notice to the respondents, which included the finance and IT ministries, the Bench said: ¶We will examine the constitutional question raised by the petitioner.¶ Petitioner’s counsel, senior advocate Arvind P Datar said free distribution of colour TVs as per the election promise has set a very dangerous precedent, as it could set off a competition among political parties to promise consumer durables and articles to the electorate.

Earlier, parties used to promise rice at Rs 2 per kg or other essential things like free bus passes, gas stoves, dhotis and sarees, but now they appear to have graduated to promising colour TVs, Datar said terming it as ¶misplaced philanthropy¶ on the part of the government. When the bench said that people in villages now have some entertainment and education, the counsel said so much for the entertainment and education that the free TVs are now sold in Kerala and Karnataka for Rs 1,000. The court should find out what public purpose was served by implementation of such extravagant election promises, he said.